Mohun Bagan likely to sack physical trainer Michael Abotsi

It is understood the Mariners'officials feel the Ghanian has failed to get the players in peak condfition ahead of the new season.

Mohun Bagan officials are in talks with head coach Kibu Vicuna and are likely to come to a decision regarding physical trainer Michael Abotsi's future at the club. The Mariners recently suffered a 0-3 drubbing against Peerless SC in their opening match of the Calcutta Football League. It came as a shock to everyone involved with the club including the players, coach and also the fans, especially after their dominant win in the Durand Cup.

The Green and Maroons started their campaign with an impressive 2-0 win over rivals Mohammedan Sporting in the Durand Cup opening fixture. However, the team as a whole have struggled in both their games, especially in the second half and the fitness of the players has not looked good. Hence, Abotsi is likely to get the sack.

The Ghanaian has experience of working as a coach of the Ghanaian weightlifting team and has also worked with South African clubs like Orlando Pirates and Highland Park FC. He was also a power conditioning coach for the Gold Lions rugby team. His resume is full of experience in different sports, but still, he has failed to impress the Bagan officials with his work, as the players have struggled to adapt to the new climate and their fitness is nowhere near the optimum level.

The club's Finance Secretary, Debashish Dutta spoke to Bengali local newspaper, Bartaman about the matter. He said, "We will have a talk regarding this issue after training with the coach. If we decide to take any step against Johnson then that will be done after consulting with the coach. It's just the first match in the CFL and our fans should not lose hope even after the loss. There are still ten games to go and anything can happen."

Mohun Bagan were on the backfoot against Peerless right from the start, as Vicuna decided to start with an all-Indian backline against Ansumana Kromah and Anthony Wolfe present in the opposition attack. Kromah was a livewire, as the Green and Maroon defence was taken to the cleaners.

The team lacked coordination throughout the game and once down by a goal they never really managed to put up a fight to come back into the game. If a 0-3 scoreline at home was not humiliation enough, forward Salva Chamorro missed a golden opportunity to reduce the deficit from the spot.

In both matches, one thing was evident that the players have not found their desired rhythm and coordination, but it will hopefully get better with time. Their lack of physical conditioning is also an alarming issue, as in both matches the team has struggled to keep going in the latter stages of the game. Hence, this concern is raising questions about Abotsi's future. Only time will tell whether the 45-year old will get a chance to redeem himself or be shown the door.